One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Mu...

One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim who is able to do so to perform the Hajj at least once in their lifetime. Multiple parts of the hajj require pilgrims to make Tawaf seven times around the Kaaba in a counter-clockwise direction. Tawaf is also performed by pilgrims during the Umrah. However, the most significant times are during the hajj, when millions of pilgrims gather to circle the building within a 5-day period. In 2013, the number of pilgrims coming from outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform hajj was officially reported as 1,379,531. In 2014, Saudi Arabia reported having completed Hajj permits for 1,389,053 international pilgrims and 63,375 for residents.